F1 2015: All Chat Here
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davecoupe
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Van Der Gardes Statement.
https://www.facebook.com/giedovandergarde/posts/647945908643030
Also big reports floating around today that the Ferrari PU had the wick turned well down for Melbourne and they are expecting a big improvement when the team gets back to Europe
https://www.facebook.com/giedovandergarde/posts/647945908643030
Also big reports floating around today that the Ferrari PU had the wick turned well down for Melbourne and they are expecting a big improvement when the team gets back to Europe
RallyCiaran
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I'd say it will mostly be paid off in shares in the team.
svensktoppen
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Well, if it is true they took money off him for 2015, and then told him to take a hike, then fair enough for putting up a fight. I have a feeling there is more to the story though, from both sides.
Either way, mess indeed, good that some sort of sense prevailed in the end.
Either way, mess indeed, good that some sort of sense prevailed in the end.
DEEJAY.B
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Giedo van der Garde has now formally confirmed that his dispute with Sauber has been settled and the contract terminated, as reported here yesterday.
Although no details have been confirmed Sauber transferred €15m to the Dutchman to end the matter, after offering guarantees when the deal was set in motion last week in Australia. The settlement was completed in the last 24 hours .
He made it clear that his camp has paid its sponsorship up front.
“There has been a lot of speculation in the media over the past week, so I want to set out clearly that my sponsors paid the sponsorship fee related to the 2015 season in its entirety to Sauber in the first half of 2014. This was simply in good faith and to help the team deal with its cash problems at the time. Effectively, it was my sponsor’s advanced payments that helped the team survive in 2014.
“Sauber’s financial decision-making in this case is bizarre and makes no sense to me. I am not at liberty to discuss details, but Sauber paid significant compensation to avoid honouring the contract they had with me. Only in that respect can I be satisfied that my rights have finally been recognised and that at least some justice has been done.”
Although no details have been confirmed Sauber transferred €15m to the Dutchman to end the matter, after offering guarantees when the deal was set in motion last week in Australia. The settlement was completed in the last 24 hours .
He made it clear that his camp has paid its sponsorship up front.
“There has been a lot of speculation in the media over the past week, so I want to set out clearly that my sponsors paid the sponsorship fee related to the 2015 season in its entirety to Sauber in the first half of 2014. This was simply in good faith and to help the team deal with its cash problems at the time. Effectively, it was my sponsor’s advanced payments that helped the team survive in 2014.
“Sauber’s financial decision-making in this case is bizarre and makes no sense to me. I am not at liberty to discuss details, but Sauber paid significant compensation to avoid honouring the contract they had with me. Only in that respect can I be satisfied that my rights have finally been recognised and that at least some justice has been done.”
DEEJAY.B
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Cool shot of the F37 .
Wild Thing
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Formula one is starting to get like eurovision, Nobody in europe want to host it due to its prohibitive costs.
svensktoppen
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Not just cost either, but also severely proscribed as to what the circuit can do when putting on other things around the F1 race. So hard to get people in for a whole weekend, and not just for a couple of hours on race day.
56oval
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i find the whole thing quiet sad, i have a couple of friends who work for motorsport companies that have done a lot of work for ferrari, jordan, mclaren, stewart / jaguar etc over the years, i have friends who work at mclaren now, if the current state of affairs isn't fixed quickly then jobs will be in danger as will companies if not teams themselves, i also find it sad that the F1 circus has moved year on year further away from the working class bread and butter family audience ( i hark back to the days where we as kids used to sit around the telly on the floor on sundays with our old man watching Hunt, Lauda, Senna, Prost Mansel et al battle it out across europe EPIC )
Now it is purely a masquerade around a few token European tracks, and then on to take the real money from oil rich far flung countries with no track provenance for a jaunt around a detached from normal society circuit to keep the coffers afloat. Imo F1 in its current state is done, and i was an avid avid fan, but the need to follow the money men around the world and move the sporting spectacle away from those who got their hands oily at the car plants and foundries, to the innovators building the bizarre, extreme and sometimes, groundbreaking stuff in their sheds including all those who work in the sport in this country right now, F1 has given a huge disservice to the paying public in this country, pretty much a "thanks very much" with two fingers aloft. I wish it wasn't this way, but i understand this is the pinnacle of motorsport, and with it comes the financial trappings of the biggest players on the globe. i don't see how it will survive in its current guise, motorsport in general is in decline, what with super bike and moto gp riders getting paid zip to ride. I wish it wasn't this way, but i feel there is much worse still to come for F1
Now it is purely a masquerade around a few token European tracks, and then on to take the real money from oil rich far flung countries with no track provenance for a jaunt around a detached from normal society circuit to keep the coffers afloat. Imo F1 in its current state is done, and i was an avid avid fan, but the need to follow the money men around the world and move the sporting spectacle away from those who got their hands oily at the car plants and foundries, to the innovators building the bizarre, extreme and sometimes, groundbreaking stuff in their sheds including all those who work in the sport in this country right now, F1 has given a huge disservice to the paying public in this country, pretty much a "thanks very much" with two fingers aloft. I wish it wasn't this way, but i understand this is the pinnacle of motorsport, and with it comes the financial trappings of the biggest players on the globe. i don't see how it will survive in its current guise, motorsport in general is in decline, what with super bike and moto gp riders getting paid zip to ride. I wish it wasn't this way, but i feel there is much worse still to come for F1
Crow555
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When the teams can't operate without tourist drivers' funds and circuits can't afford to put on races, you have to wonder where the incentive is? Unless of course you're a leather-faced, octogenarian dwarf.
I understand that many countries want a GP in their country and that many circuits want to have the honour of holding the event but to me they seem to be bending over backwards to do that and getting very little in return. It's frustrating because it could be run a lot, lot better but at present we have Bernie running the show as if it was a village fair.
I understand that many countries want a GP in their country and that many circuits want to have the honour of holding the event but to me they seem to be bending over backwards to do that and getting very little in return. It's frustrating because it could be run a lot, lot better but at present we have Bernie running the show as if it was a village fair.
davecoupe
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I cant understand how people cant see that it has always been like this.....Very little as far as the politics of F1 have changed in 30/40 years
Cars were never flat out. Never in the history of F1 has a race been run flat out from lights to flag without some form of fuel or tyre saving. Even Senna et.al. conserved fuel and tyres constantly, all you have to do is listen to Brundle - 50% of the time in turbo cars was nursing the damn things to get them to the finish, not racing flat out.
Its always been expensive to host a GP. That's why some of the genuinely great circuits like Zandvoort can't host GP's any more, they can't afford to meet the safety reg requirements.
Pay-for-a-drive drivers have been around since F1 was in its infancy, paid drivers have been a recent development. Its well known that the Argentinean government paid for Fangio's seat and Banerj paid for Sennas drives etc.
Cars were never flat out. Never in the history of F1 has a race been run flat out from lights to flag without some form of fuel or tyre saving. Even Senna et.al. conserved fuel and tyres constantly, all you have to do is listen to Brundle - 50% of the time in turbo cars was nursing the damn things to get them to the finish, not racing flat out.
Its always been expensive to host a GP. That's why some of the genuinely great circuits like Zandvoort can't host GP's any more, they can't afford to meet the safety reg requirements.
Pay-for-a-drive drivers have been around since F1 was in its infancy, paid drivers have been a recent development. Its well known that the Argentinean government paid for Fangio's seat and Banerj paid for Sennas drives etc.
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davecoupe
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Its been a lot more exciting than the schumacher era imo, at least the teams behind are fighting.
Vettel and Alonso did some of the best side by side racing Ive seen at Silverstone last year
Crow555
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My disparaging comes mainly for the fact that not so long ago, new teams were convinced to join and add to the grid numbers. Nearly all those teams are either gone or in administration and outside of Ferrari, Merc, Red Bull and maybe McLaren, I'd say others could fall into problems soon. I don't like seeing teams struggle or GPs going to countries with dubious ethical records (e.g. Bahrain, Russia etc) but that's where we are.
56oval
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Yep i agree, the Indian Grand Prix irks the sh*t out of me, I've been there a few times and its just insane wealth or abject poverty with nothing in between, with not much chance for the poor to climb the social ladder let alone watch a grand prix. I think we can all agree F1 has been like it for years, no question, Lauda paid for his first drive with March in 1971, fuel saving, tyre conservation etc etc, this is a multi billion dollar industry, and the circus has to go where the money is being waved, if you think about what it currently is as a "spectacle" the worlds greatest and technically the pinnacle of motorsport, from a viewing perspective its woeful value for money.
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I agree there is a difference from what has gone before.
Yes, there has always been a dominating team. Before Merc it was RB, before RB it was Ferrari (who owned F1 completely for a while, same way as Merc do now). Before Ferrari it was Benetton, Williams, McL, Lotus, etc.
But I still think that was different. With the exception of the Ferrari years, it was a team coming up with a brilliant and/or sneaky way to bend the rules. Traction control, active suspension, aero, mid-engine, etc. Small changes, which others could copy to level things out in the long run.
Now (and during the Ferrari years) we have one team completely controlling the sport, by writing the rules, and controlling where the money goes.
But even worse than that, they have made it so horrifically expensive and complicated, that nobody else has a chance. Horner has a point there, when even Honda are struggling with the complexity and cost of the stupid "power train", never mind Ferrari and Renault. The smaller teams have no chance. None.
And then the financial structure on top of that. Precisely because it is so horrendously complicated and expensive, the main teams get the lion's share of any money, even before team performance is taken into account.
I have no doubt Bernie sees this, which is why we see these "pre-payments" and "loans" to the smaller teams to keep them going. And why he is so ****** off by a "team" like Manor/Marussia for just taking the ****.
But there is nothing he or anyone else can do as long as Merc own the sport.
Yes, there has always been a dominating team. Before Merc it was RB, before RB it was Ferrari (who owned F1 completely for a while, same way as Merc do now). Before Ferrari it was Benetton, Williams, McL, Lotus, etc.
But I still think that was different. With the exception of the Ferrari years, it was a team coming up with a brilliant and/or sneaky way to bend the rules. Traction control, active suspension, aero, mid-engine, etc. Small changes, which others could copy to level things out in the long run.
Now (and during the Ferrari years) we have one team completely controlling the sport, by writing the rules, and controlling where the money goes.
But even worse than that, they have made it so horrifically expensive and complicated, that nobody else has a chance. Horner has a point there, when even Honda are struggling with the complexity and cost of the stupid "power train", never mind Ferrari and Renault. The smaller teams have no chance. None.
And then the financial structure on top of that. Precisely because it is so horrendously complicated and expensive, the main teams get the lion's share of any money, even before team performance is taken into account.
I have no doubt Bernie sees this, which is why we see these "pre-payments" and "loans" to the smaller teams to keep them going. And why he is so ****** off by a "team" like Manor/Marussia for just taking the ****.
But there is nothing he or anyone else can do as long as Merc own the sport.
Crow555
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Just had a thought there reading about the the German GP being canned for this year. A lot of GPs in Europe are dying away (e.g. France, Portugal, San Marino) and being replaced by countries with little or no racing heritage (Russia, Bahrain, India etc). It can only be a matter of time before the likes of Silverstone or Spa Francochamps is next to be axed.
In saying that, what classic GP would you like to see return? (I would've put this in a new thread but since it is largely F1 based, it probably sits well here)
In saying that, what classic GP would you like to see return? (I would've put this in a new thread but since it is largely F1 based, it probably sits well here)
Nickyyy
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It's just Bernie is a money grabber and is pricing the European tracks out of holding a GP. I Dare say the likes of Bahrain are running the GPs at a loss.
davecoupe
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The Nordschleife, Imola and the original A1 ring.
Out of those, only Imola is possible.
svensktoppen
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Some of the original French circuits are pretty good too 
Donington as well.
Just a fact though, that money is only part of it. The classic circuits are simply not set up for modern aero-driven F1 cars. They do not do tight and twisty, they need big and sweeping with miles of run-off. Just look at Monaco, or any other of the tight street circuits. Sadly, completely pointless with modern F1 cars.
Donington as well.Just a fact though, that money is only part of it. The classic circuits are simply not set up for modern aero-driven F1 cars. They do not do tight and twisty, they need big and sweeping with miles of run-off. Just look at Monaco, or any other of the tight street circuits. Sadly, completely pointless with modern F1 cars.
Crow555
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I miss Magny-Cours myself. Not the most dynamic circuit but there was something I loved about races there. I'd lose all interest is Spa was axed. Imola I would say would be prime candidate for updating easily to suit current F1 cars.
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Losing Germany is bad enough... Losing Spa (or Silverstone) would be a disaster...
That said, the Japanese circuits are very good too, but they are struggling as well.
Malaysia is usually good, and the circuit in Texas is great.
That said, the Japanese circuits are very good too, but they are struggling as well.
Malaysia is usually good, and the circuit in Texas is great.
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davecoupe
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Imola is already up to standard, Charlie Whiting has approved its Grade 1 homologation 3 or 4 years ago ..... after Tilke redesigned the pits, so he could have made a balls of it like he did with the A1 Ring.
DC.
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Both Fernando Alonso & Valtteri Bottas have been declared fit to race by the fia this weekend.
Alonso has just finished the driver's press conference where he said he remembered everything about the crash, only lost consciousness in the helicopter when they knocked him out for the flight & following medical tests, MRI etc.
He claims the steering 'locked' causing him to veer off & hit the wall. He claims this 'locking' of the steering is not shown in the data although they have new sensors this weekend to give more info on the steering.
He also said his car was using steering parts specific to him & his driving style, which he requested. He will revert back to the original steering parts used by Button & Magnussen in Oz.
Denies the car was blown off the track by a 'gust of wind' or that he woke 'in 1995'.
Alonso has just finished the driver's press conference where he said he remembered everything about the crash, only lost consciousness in the helicopter when they knocked him out for the flight & following medical tests, MRI etc.
He claims the steering 'locked' causing him to veer off & hit the wall. He claims this 'locking' of the steering is not shown in the data although they have new sensors this weekend to give more info on the steering.
He also said his car was using steering parts specific to him & his driving style, which he requested. He will revert back to the original steering parts used by Button & Magnussen in Oz.
Denies the car was blown off the track by a 'gust of wind' or that he woke 'in 1995'.
DEEJAY.B
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Manor reporting that they are ready to run in FP1 . .
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